Getty Josh Rosen is battling Sam Darnold to be the top quarterback selected in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The NFL draft process is incredibly predictable, especially when it involves quarterbacks. We started the season with the “big three” quarterbacks: Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Josh Rosen. When you start the season with so much anticipation, fans and analyst are bound to be disappointed with what we see.
Being a top-rated NFL quarterback prospect heading into the college football season is sometimes a curse. We have seen it at varying levels with all three quarterbacks. Darnold has led his team to a perfect record and engineered comeback victories. Yet, the USC quarterback has been criticized at times for putting up modest stats. Darnold has already thrown seven interceptions this season, which is just slightly less than his nine touchdowns.
Rosen was a hero after leading UCLA to a 34-point comeback victory over Texas A&M during the opening weekend of the season. Weeks later he was criticized for his decision-making as the Bruins were upset by Memphis.
Finally, Allen’s draft stock has plummeted the most just months after his draft hype had reached its peak. Over the first month of the season, Allen has thrown for just 658 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He was once thought to be a potential top draft pick, and now may not hear his name called until Day 2 or 3.
In the words of Dennis Green: “They are who we thought they were.” Except they are not, as quarterbacks rarely live up to the NFL draft hype machine that begins before the season. While every throw will continue to be dissected, fans can be assured there is still plenty of quarterback talent in this class. The players just may not be drafted in the order you were expecting.
The draft order for Heavy’s latest mock draft is based on the NFL standings after Week 3. Since many teams are tied with similar records, we did our best to project the teams’ records forward when ties did occur. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @JonDAdams with any draft related questions.
Here’s my latest mock draft for the 2018 NFL Draft.
2018 NFL Mock Draft: First Round
| TEAM | PLAYER |
| 1. San Francisco 49ers | QB Sam Darnold, USC |
| 2. L.A. Chargers | S Derwin James, FSU |
| 3. Cincinnati Bengals | DE/LB Harold Landry, Boston College |
| 4. Cleveland Browns | QB Josh Rosen, UCLA |
| 5. New York Giants | RB Saquon Barkley, Penn State |
| 6. Chicago Bears | WR Courtland Sutton, SMU |
| 7. New York Jets | QB Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma St. |
| 8. Indianapolis Colts | OT Trey Adams, Washington |
| 9. New Orleans Saints | EDGE Arden Key, LSU |
| 10. Arizona Cardinals | LB Malik Jefferson, Texas |
| 11. Seattle Seahawks | OT Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame |
| 12. Cleveland Browns (via Texans) | RB Derrius Guice, LSU |
| 13. Miami Dolphins | DT Christian Wilkins, Clemson |
| 14. Tampa Bay Bucs | DE Bradley Chubb, NC State |
| 15. Jacksonville Jaguars | OT Connor Williams, Texas |
| 16. Buffalo Bills | WR Calvin Ridley, Alabama |
| 17. Washington Redskins | CB Tarvarus McFadden, Florida State |
| 18. Baltimore Ravens | DT Da’Ron Payne, Alabama |
| 19. Carolina Panthers | DE Sam Hubbard, Ohio State |
| 20. Detroit Lions | CB/S Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama |
| 21. L.A. Rams | DE Dorance Armstrong, Kansas |
| 22. Philadelphia Eagles | WR Christian Kirk, Texas A&M |
| 23. Minnesota Vikings | OT Orlando Brown, Oklahoma |
| 24. Tennessee Titans | OT Brian O’Neill, Pitt |
| 25. Dallas Cowboys | WR James Washington, Oklahoma St. |
| 26. Denver Broncos | S Ronnie Harrison, Alabama |
| 27. Oakland Raiders | LB Jerome Baker, Ohio State |
| 28. Pittsburgh Steelers | QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville |
| 29. Green Bay Packers | LB Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech |
| 30. New England Patriots | DT Maurice Hurst, Michigan |
| 31. Atlanta Falcons | DT Dre’Mont Jones, Ohio State |
| 32. Buffalo Bills (via Chiefs) | DE Austin Bryant, Clemson |